The Return
by L4DZoeyandEllis
Summary: At the end of Portal 2, Zoey is released from Aperture. When the Green Flu had already wiped out the world, she makes friends with four survivors. While fighting infected she is forced to return and help GLaDOS with some odd jobs. Spoilers from Portal 2! :D
1. Chapter 1

I stepped out of the lift. Fresh air surrounding me, I hadn't had that in the longest time. The only thing in front of me was a wheat field, not very exciting. I thought of everything I knew, what was left of my memory. My name is Zoey….. I don't know my last name. I was captured by GLaDOS on Bring Your Daughter to Work Day at Aperture Laboratories. One of my parents worked for Aperture. GLaDOS put me through tests, tried to kill me and I destroyed her. When I destroyed her I was able to escape, but was brought back into the facility and put into stasis. A month later I woke up in the facility and reactivated GLaDOS, thanks to Wheatley. I continued testing with the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, just like before. I destroyed parts of the facility and replaced GLaDOS with Wheatley and made him head of the facility. He made GLaDOS a potato battery and we were banished to the abandoned Aperture Laboratories that went from the 1940's to the 1980's. I went through tests from those times and with the help of prerecorded messages of Cave Johnson and his assistant Caroline was able to succeed. I found PotatOS, and we completed the tests making our way back to Wheatley's Laboratories. On the way we learned that GLaDOS contained Caroline's personality, buried somewhere in her psychotic mind.

Wheatley used me and PotatOS for testing, and then he found the Cooperative Testing Initiative and tried to kill us. We eventually escaped his death trap and sent him to space with the other corrupted cores. I was in space, but GLaDOS pulled me back into the laboratories and saved my life. She then let me go, with the long fall boots and portal gun. A turret opera sang a song as I rose up to the surface and then my companion cube was sent up, all burnt up. Now that was all that happened to me. Very eventful, but I didn't know what to do now. I was free, free to do whatever I wanted. That was different, a luxury I haven't had in a long time. I could see a small town in a distance, and I used the portal gun on the dirt below and a building in the distance to reach my destination faster. I fell from the building and landed smoothly thanks to the long fall boots.

There was no one there, no humans, no machines…. Nothing. I wanted to call out to see if anyone was alive, but my voice was so hoarse from not speaking in the longest time. No one, which is just my luck. I look around and still no one. I see something move in the corner of my eye, "I someone there?" I look to the source of the voice. "Are you one of 'em," it said. I gave him a puzzled look, "I guess not. Name's Ellis. What's yers'," he asked. I just stared at him studying him. He was taller than me, pretty muscular. He had big ears, but not too big, his nose was the same way. He was really cute, but I mean I couldn't even speak. "Can yew' talk," he asked; he had a southern accent. "Come with me, I'll introduce yew' to ma' friends," he said. I still had the portal gun, which was holding the companion cube. I followed him, he kept looking at the device. I was brought into a room which had a red metal door as an entrance. Ellis locked the door behind me and looked out the small slot that was open.

"Yer' lucky none of the infected saw ya'. They were all on the other side of the buildin'," he said. "I hope yew' don't mind ma' talkin'," he said apologetically, "My friends all say I talk too much." Soon three others came in the room, two men and a woman. One man was wearing a white suit and a blue dress shirt underneath. The other a purple polo shirt and kakis, his skin was dark unlike the other two men. The woman was dark skinned as well, she wore a pair of skin tight jeans and a pink t-shirt with the name of a band on it.

Ellis was wearing a blue jumpsuit like mine, tied around his waist like me. He wore a light yellow t-shirt with a Bull Shifters logo on it. He also had a hat; it was blue with a white mesh on the back. I wore my test subject clothes, not changing at all. Ellis introduced me, not saying a name, and then introduced them. The woman was Rochelle, the suit guy was named Nick and the last was Coach. They took me in like I was one of them. They asked questions about the strange device and cube, and the Aperture logo, but I still said nothing. They thought I was mute, but still Ellis talked to me all the time. Nick would occasionally yell at him, "She can't hear you!" But I could. Now the questions were: What was the infection? What did it do? Where was everyone? Were we the only ones left? Was GLaDOS involved? Did people even know about Aperture?

A month passed. No one knows about Aperture; they only know it shut down years ago because they went bankrupt. That was their cover story, instead of telling people that a robot went crazy and killed people. The infection turned people into zombies, and I learned I'm pretty good with a gun. All the practice with the portal gun must've helped. I kept the portal gun and companion cube in the permanent safe house. We established it about a week ago, it's our HQ. They still think I'm mute and Ellis still talks to me. He now tells me of life before this. It sounded great, but Nick had a different view. He always interjected a comment that contradicted the beauty Ellis created in my head. We were good friends, Ellis and I. I liked all of them, but Ellis the most, Nick the least.

I started to talk two weeks ago, but not to them. When they were all asleep, I would talk to the companion cube about my day; most of the time I talked about stories Ellis told me. Tonight I was simply talking to it like usual. "How was your day," I asked it. It didn't respond, so I laughed at how I expected a response. "So today Ellis and I were talking about…" I started but then noticed Ellis was up and standing in the doorway across the room. "I knew yew' could speak," he said smiling. "Yes, but….. I just started two weeks ago. I haven't spoken in about a year," I said. "What? Really? I couldn't do it," Ellis said. I laughed. I scooted over and Ellis sat next to me. The three of us (the cube, me and Ellis) sat in a triangle like shape. "So, what is with the Aperture stuff," he asked. So I told him everything. The whole story and how I know nothing about life before it. He found the story fascinating. He loved every moment of it and I enjoyed telling it. I missed Aperture. I missed GLaDOS.

"That's amazin'," Ellis said when I finished. "Yeah and it's all under us right now," I said. It was a little chilly so I shivered a little. "Here," he said passing me his red sweatshirt. He never wore it, but he always had it with him. I put it on and decided it was mine now, and that I would keep it forever. "Thanks," I said smiling. The next morning it was Ellis and I who were going to scout for supplies. I grabbed the Portal Gun and strapped it to my back (I hadn't shown any of them what it does) and grabbed two pistols. Ellis had a shotgun. The two of us ran out and found a warehouse. We slowly walked through the front door and decided to split up down the aisles. Then I heard it, the piercing scream of a hunter, I thought it was after Ellis so I started to run to him, but it was stalking me. It pinned me down and ripped at me. I screamed for Ellis' help, but when he got to me, he was dragged away by a smoker. I was sure we would die, but just before I faded into darkness I heard the hunter yelp and die on top of me and a smoker explode. Who saved us?


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up to a familiar stasis bed. The glass tube opening, I was in a different part of Aperture. I looked at the wall and saw it said, "Infirmary." I felt good as new, even though I was recently ripped to shreds by a hunter. "Oh thank god you're alright. I thought they were too late," the familiar voice said. "Where's Ellis," I yelled. "Oh, so you do speak. I told you that you could. You just didn't listen, like always," she said. "Where is he," I repeated. "He's in the male infirmary, but his injuries were worse than yours," she said. "What does that mean," I asked. "I had to temporarily move his mind into a core," she said. "What," I yelled the door opening. "Zoey, this is weird," a core said hanging from the management rail. It was like Wheatley, except Ellis' voice and a yellow eye like the space core.

"Ellis," I asked. "Yep, yeah, I'm a ball," he said. "Yeah, um, how do you feel," I asked. "Fine, but… I have no arms or legs," he said, "Where's my body?" "Your body was badly injured, I'm fixing it but it will take time and you will be in this core until it's finished," GLaDOS told him. "So you must be GLaDOS," he said. "You told him," she yelled to me. "Yeah, I mean, I didn't think we'd be back," I said. "Listen, I need the two of you to meet me in my chamber," she said, "You know, the one where you killed me." Ellis followed me and I got a portal gun again. The two of us made it close to the chamber, but there was no rail going through the actual chamber. "Disconnect yourself," I said. "How," he asked. "I don't know just try thinking about it," I said and then a few seconds later he popped off and fell to the ground, "Hey, help me up!" I picked him up and held him using the device. "This is weird," he said and I laughed as I walked down the oh so familiar pathway to her chamber.

"Hello," I called, since her back was to us. "I know you're here. I run all the cameras," she said. "Well what do you want," I asked. "I have two jobs for you if you are going to stay here," she said. "What are they," I asked again. "One is to find something in the 1940's version of Aperture and the second is to find the Borealis," she said. "What," I asked not really understanding. "I am willing to let the two of you live here for the next sixty years of your pathetic human lives. I will cut the facility in half; one side will be yours, the other mine. We won't test, or kill each other and we don't even have to talk if you don't want to. But before that I need you to do those two things," she explained.

"What's a Bored-a-lis," Ellis asked completely butchering the word. "Borealis," she corrected, "It was an Aperture Science ice-breaker ship that contains several incredible inventions way ahead of its time. I need you two to find it." "What happened to it," I asked. "Mr. Johnson was working on teleportation and by accident teleported it out of the enrichment center and it ended up somewhere on earth, with pieces of the dry dock. The other thing is to find a locket back in the 1940's Aperture. Caroline wants it, and if you bring it back I might be able to isolate her into a core," she said. "A core. But you deleted her," I said. "No, I lied. She can't be deleted, but this locket meant a lot to her and before she locked down all the older parts of the facility she dropped it in the 1940's test chambers. Find it and the surge of emotion can help me find and isolate her," she finished, "Here's a lift." A lift came out of the floor next to me and I stepped inside, placing Ellis next to me.

"You better not be lying," I said as the lift began to descend slowly. She laughed and the sped the lift up, a lot. We made our way down; Ellis seemed to have fallen asleep. I picked him up using the device as soon as we landed in the 40's. He opened his eye, "Whoa, that still feels weird!" The place was a lot nicer than I remembered it. "Yes, I re-did the place, since you opened it," GLaDOS said, "I was never down here before that." I took Ellis and we went through all the offices and test chambers until we reached the first room where the subjects would be greeted. There it was right on Cave's desk, a heart shaped locket. I opened it up and there I was. It was me and Cave Johnson, what the hell? The other side was Caroline. "Did you get it," GLaDOS asked. "Yeah," I said showing Ellis. "What does that mean," he asked. I shrugged my shoulders and we went back to the lift. We were back in her chamber and I gave her the locket.

"Oh my god," was her reaction to opening it. "Cara bella, cara mia bella! Mia bambina, o ciel," was all she said afterward. "What did she just say," I asked Ellis. "I don't know Italian," he said. What did he know, he was a redneck. A hot redneck, but he was a redneck after all. "That's not me, it's Caroline," GLaDOS said, she sounded like she was fighting something. "Plug him in," GLaDOS said meaning Ellis. I did, and soon everything stopped. "Oh good, she's gone," GLaDOS said. "Ellis," I said holding him. "Zoey, my darling," it said, but not in Ellis' voice. It was Caroline's voice. "GLaDOS," I said. "Oops," she said. "Where's Ellis," I asked. "He's in the main frame," she responded. "WHAT!"

"Hey Zoey, I'm alright; just lost. Should I go left or right?" "Left," I said. "Right," GLaDOS said. "Your body is ready, go towards the infirmary," GLaDOS yelled. I assumed Ellis was listening to her and went to the infirmary. There he was sitting up and coughing. "I'm glad I'm human," he said and it was his voice. I ran and hugged him, I was happy to see him again. "I missed your face," I said. He leaned in and pressed his soft lips against mine. I backed up, but then ran back into it. "Stop it," GLaDOS yelled, "You still have to find the Borealis before you're free." We went back to her chamber. "HAHAHA," the Caroline core laughed, "You can't get rid of me." Then the core died. "She's back. I can't get rid of her. No matter, the Borealis that's what's important," GLaDOS said. "Where is it," Ellis asked. "I don't know, but you're going to need to do some scouting on the surface to find it," GLaDOS started, "and you're going to need this."


End file.
